1. Field
The disclosed concept pertains generally to power supplies and, more particularly, to parasitic power supplies for electrical distribution systems. The disclosed concept also pertains to sensor apparatus for electrical distribution systems.
2. Background Information
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,145,322 and 7,253,602 disclose a power supply employing voltage produced by magnetically coupling a power bus to one or more coils, in order to power sensors and other circuitry from flux arising from current flowing in the power bus. A housing is coupled to a current carrying power bus, such as a power bus bar. The power supply includes two power coils each of which has an opening, a ferrite core having two ends, and a magnetic flux concentrator member having two ends. The ferrite core passes through the openings of the power coils. The ends of the magnetic flux concentrator member engage the respective ends of the ferrite core. The ferrite core and the magnetic flux concentrator member encircle and capture the power bus bar. The ferrite core and the magnetic flux concentrator member further combine to act as a flux concentrator and, also, hold a sensor device to the power bus bar. The sensor device uses the two flux sensing power coils and the common inserted ferrite core for improved magnetic flux coupling to convert the magnetic flux from the power bus bar to a usable voltage source to provide suitable input power for the power supply. As a result, the sensor device is self-powered.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,253,602 also discloses a power supply including a coil having an output with an alternating current voltage, a voltage multiplier circuit, such as a voltage doubler circuit, having an input electrically interconnected with the coil output and an output with a direct current voltage, and a voltage regulator having at least one output with the at least one voltage. The power supply voltage regulator includes a circuit adapted to monitor the direct current voltage and disable a voltage regulator circuit when the direct current voltage is below a predetermined value (e.g., without limitation, 3.5 VDC). Otherwise, the enable input of the voltage regulator circuit is pulled low to enable the same to source the voltage.
There is room for improvement in parasitic power supplies for an electrical power conductor.
There is also room for improvement in sensor apparatus for an electrical power conductor.